Author: ADWDCCathCon

New York Times By Ross Douthat April 4, 2015 AFTER watching the debate about religious freedom unfold over the past week, I decided to subject myself to an interview by an imaginary — but representative — member of the press. Here is our conversation: Happy Easter! Thank you. O.K., enough pleasantries. You’re a semi-reasonable Christian.[…]

The Wall Street Journal March 30, 2015 Indiana isn’t targeting gays. Liberals are targeting religion. In the increasingly bitter battle between religious liberty and the liberal political agenda, religion is losing. Witness the media and political wrath raining down upon Indiana because the state dared to pass an allegedly anti-gay Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The[…]

Washington Post By Sandhya Somashekhar and Mark Berman March 30, 2015 Republican lawmakers in Indiana promised Monday to amend a religious liberties bill that critics have labeled as anti-gay, bowing to protests that have rapidly spread to several other states considering similar measures. Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma (R) said the legislature would act as[…]

The Weekly Standard By JOHN MCCORMACK March 29, 2015 Douglas Laycock, a professor at the University of Virginia Law School, writes in an email: The issue with respect to Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) is whether people should be allowed to practice their religion, even when their acts would otherwise be illegal, if they are[…]

National Journal By Sam Baker March 29, 2015 The debate over same-sex marriage isn’t actually over yet, but opponents are already turning their attention to state non-discrimination laws. New state laws opening the door to discrimination against same-sex couples are here to stay—but that doesn’t mean they’ll work. Even if (and likely when) the Supreme[…]

Washington Post By Josh Hicks and Sarah Halzack March 29, 2015 Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) on Sunday defended the religious freedom bill that he signed last week, saying the growing outrage over the legislation stems from “a tremendous amount of misinformation and misunderstanding.” Critics of the new law say it gives businesses a license[…]

Public Discourse by Carson Holloway within Philosophy, Religion and the Public Square March 26, 2015 The ACLU is trying to deprive other organizations of freedoms that it would insist upon for itself. Their work is not a defense of equality—it is an effort to impose a certain view of morality on the country by law.[…]

First Things by Michael Root March 26, 2015 One might think that the District of Columbia, our nation’s capital, would be particularly vigilant in defending the freedoms fundamental to American life. Unfortunately, the District’s City Council has now seen fit to intervene into the life of religious institutions and insist that such institutions handle some[…]

Washington Post Letters to the Editor March 25, 2015 The March 25 editorial “Politics over principles” missed the mark by focusing on federalism rather than liberty. The Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act and the Human Rights Amendment Act are direct assaults on the Catholic Church’s freedom of religion — the very first right set forth in[…]

The Catholic Thing By Hadley Arkes March 24, 2015 A snapshot of our times: The band that calls itself the City Council of Washington, D.C. passes two measures, reflecting the local ethos, growing more assertive. One is the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA). This bill would go beyond the familiar bars to discrimination based on[…]